Former North Korean arts troupe singer Cho Mi-young had watched K-pop on television for years. But when she finally attended a live performance in Seoul on Oct. 16, the experience gave her something beyond entertainment: a renewed sense of belonging in South Korea.
Born in Chongjin, North Korea, Cho moved to South Korea with her family in 2004. In an Oct. 23 report by Radio Free Asia (RFA), she described how attending a live edition of KBS Music Bank brought the South Korean music scene to life in a way television never had.
Cho once sang in a state-run North Korean arts troupe. Since settling in the South, she has performed in musical theater, toured as an accordion player, co-hosted the RFA Korean web series “Northboy Northgirl,” and launched a content production company.
A first-hand encounter with K-pop
The Oct. 16 broadcast was staged outdoors at the National Museum of Korea. BOYNEXTDOOR opened with “Animal,” wearing outfits that incorporated elements of traditional Korean hanbok. KBS confirmed that BOYNEXTDOOR, Jannabi and ALLDAY PROJECT were among the acts on the program.
Although Music Bank has long been a staple of South Korean music television, Cho had never before seen a K-pop performance live. The spectacle of performers and fans sharing the same space immediately impressed her.
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“I’ve seen it a lot on TV, but today is the first time I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Cho told RFA.
“Seeing such beautiful and handsome people dancing and singing right in front of me, moving like that, is absolutely mesmerizing.”
Cho was particularly taken with the co-ed group ALLDAY PROJECT and its performance of “CRASH.” She admired the members’ all-black outfits, but it was the precision of their choreography that left the strongest impression. She believed such a routine must have required months of practice.
When music serves the state
For Cho, the difference between performing in North Korea and watching performers in South Korea went beyond clothing, choreography or musical style. She recalled feeling “always stiff” when she sang as a member of a government arts troupe.
“When we were on stage, we performed with the mindset of conveying the Party’s voice, so I don’t think I ever had the thought that we were actually enjoying our own music,” Cho said.
She also recognized similarities. “Even in North Korea, artists are trained very strictly in a Spartan manner,” she said. “In terms of the sheer volume of training, it might be difficult to see a significant difference between the North and South.”
The distinction, as Cho saw it, lay in the purpose of that work. She contrasted the pursuit of individual artistic success in the South with North Korean performances intended to serve the state.
Before leaving North Korea, Cho heard some South Korean music, particularly trot, a genre associated with older generations. After her arrival in the South, she became drawn to emotional love ballads. During the Music Bank show, indie rock band Jannabi’s “Thoughts on an Autumn Night” especially resonated with her. “The lyrical melody seems to have a bit of North Korean sensibility to it,” she said.
Access to South Korean entertainment remains highly restricted in the North. In February 2026, Amnesty International reported that a law adopted in 2020 criminalizes watching or possessing South Korean music, films and dramas, with penalties that can include years of forced labor. The law was enacted long after Cho left the country.
A deeper sense of belonging
Cho was also struck by the devotion of the audience, which sang along from memory and joined in coordinated chants. When she first arrived in South Korea, she found those customs difficult to understand.
“I didn’t understand it in the past. But as I’ve lived here longer, I’ve come to understand the fans and their pre-prepared chants,” she said. “I think maybe next time, I might enjoy it even more if I learned those.”
Seeing the performers and their fans together gave Cho a new appreciation of the culture she had gradually come to know. Looking back on the evening, she said, “…it sinks in that I really am in the South now.”
Cho hoped other North Korean escapees could experience a similar moment. “The emotion felt in the live setting is completely different from listening to a recording,” she said. “I think many escapees would finally feel they truly have arrived in South Korea when they go to the venue, see the singer in person, and listen to the songs live.”
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